Chili-Topped Sweet Potatoes & Round 2 Soup

Sometimes, trying to figure out what to make for dinner is harder than actually making it.  There are endless possibilities!  I usually surf the web, or peruse my cookbooks.  I always try to make something that I’m “in the mood for”, but sometimes, I just don’t know what that is.  Then, there are times, when I find a recipe & just know I have to try it!  That is what happened when I found this recipe for Tex-Mex Chili Topped Sweet Potatoes.  I knew I had to make it.  Adam and I love chili and sweet potatoes, so how this not be love?  It was hearty, spicy, colorful, and tasty.  It was everything I hoped it would be.  Trouble is, we had leftovers…

It was so hearty and flavorful, we each only had one serving.  The problem being, I had two already cooked sweet potatoes on my hands, and a good amount of chili leftover. The next day I had sudden realization of what I was going to do!   Soup!  I cut up the leftover sweet potatoes, threw in the chili, added water, adjusted the spices, and the result was a delicious, comforting soup!

I, again, have succeeded in using up leftovers!  I am feeling pretty proud of myself.

Chili-Topped Sweet Potatoes

adapted from A Year in the Kitchen

Printable Recipe

4 sweet potatoes, scrubbed
1 red onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red pepper, diced
Salt and pepper
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (with green chilis, lime, cilantro, etc. if preferred)
1 heaping tsp. chili powder
1 heaping tsp. cumin
1/2 heaping tsp. coriander
1/2 heaping tsp. smoked paprika

1/8 – 1/4 chipotle powder (or 1 chipotle pepper diced)
Sprinkle of cayenne powder
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used pepper jack)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Pierce potatoes with a fork all over and place directly on oven rack.  Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size.

Heat a pot over medium heat, add 1 TBS olive oil.  Add onion and red pepper, season with salt and pepper, and saute until softened, about 5-7 minutes.  Add garlic, and saute for 1 minute until fragrant.  Add tomatoes, spices, cilantro, and kidney beans.  Bring to a simmer, stir and cook for about 20 minutes.  Taste, adjust seasonings.  Cut potatoes in half, plate, and top with chili, a sprinkle of cilantro, and cheese.  Enjoy!

Spicy Sweet Potato and Black Bean Soup

by Anne

2 cooked sweet potatoes

1/2 recipe for chili (from Chili-Topped Sweet Potatoes)

1-2 cups water

Cut sweet potatoes into cubes.  Place sweet potatoes, chili, and water in a pot.  Cook until some of the liquid has cooked off.  Taste, adjust spices, and enjoy with cheese or a sprinkle of cilantro.

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Chili

We saw the first signs of snow yesterday.  It was actually raining with large snowflake globs mixed in.  Very cold, very wet.  I decided it was time for a warm bowl of chili.

Usually, I make a very simple chili with chicken, veggies, and chili powder, but this weekend I wanted to try something a little different – a spicy, smoky chili with beef and beer.  I always get a little nervous venturing away from how I normally do things.  I figure, why mess with a good thing.  How could I go wrong with a recipe that calls for chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, and beer!

We live in a very Polish neighborhood, hence the reason I chose a Polish beer.  We discovered Zywiec beer at a restaurant nearby where you can get an appetizer, Polish plate entrée, dessert and a beer all for around $12.  This price for the amount and quality of the food is highly unusual in New York.

The best thing about chili is that it is low maintenance and versatile.  You can pop all of the ingredients in a pot and in a couple of hours, it’s done.  Chili can be enjoyed on its own, on french fries, on hot dogs, on a baked potato, etc.  We like our chili with Jiffy cornbread, cheddar cheese, and a cold beer.

Football and a pot of chili on the stove.  What could be better?

Chili (adapted from The Eclectic Cook)

Printable Recipe

1 TBS olive oil
1 green pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
2 onions, diced
5 or 6 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBS chili powder
2 TBS brown sugar
1 TBS cumin
2 TBS chopped chipotle chiles in adobo, plus a few TBS sauce
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 – 1 tsp cayenne pepper
3 lbs ground chuck
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
2 (28oz) cans crushed tomatoes
1 bottle beer
2 cups beef broth or stock
2 (19 oz) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Salt to taste

Sauté the onions, pepper, jalapeno, and garlic over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, chipotle peppers, oregano, coriander and cayenne pepper.  Cook for another few minutes, until the spices are fragrant.  Add the beef and cook over medium-high heat until browned, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a few more minutes.  Add the crushed tomatoes, beer, beef broth or stock, brown sugar and the kidney beans.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer partly uncovered until chili has thickened, 1½ to 2 hours.  Taste for salt and adjust other spices as needed.  You may want to add a few TBS of adobo sauce.  Serve with grated cheese and cornbread, if desired.

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